Functionalization of polymers using n 2 pulsed dielectric barrier discharge

Surface treatment of polymers using plasma has been widely used for purposes of enhancing the adhesion and wettability of the material through the inclusion of polar functional groups. Through the use of atmospheric pulsed-dielectric barrier discharges (DBD), ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) films were treated with nitrogen gas to introduce nitrogen-containing groups on the surface for improved adhesion properties. To avoid the effect of oxidative degradation during plasma treatments, various treatment times and nitrogen gas flow-rates were used to achieve higher uptake of N-containing species over that of O-containing species. Surface analysis techniques - attenuated total reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle measurements were used to study variations in the surface energy and chemical composition. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) has been applied to identify and characterize key chemical species present in the N2-DBD plasma.